Wednesday, September 28, 2011

6 Wedding Photography Tips

Wedding photography has changed a lot in the last ten years everything from the poses chosen to the books, albums, and slide shows that capture the moments of the day to be cherished forever. Here are some words of advice that you may have heard already, and if not, you can use them for the next wedding that you shoot.
1. Get to know the couple before the wedding. Every minute you spend getting to know the couple in advance of the wedding pays off in wedding images that can reflect their unique personalities and their hopes and dreams for the life they are beginning together. By the time of the wedding day, the couple should know you well enough to think of you as a new or old friend whom they welcome.
2. Call the wedding planner before the wedding. If there is one, call the wedding planner and introduce yourself as the photographer. Wedding planners can make or break your day and their contribution to your shooting workflow can be immensely helpful. Get on their good side and stay upbeat and flexible.
3. Clearly set the expectations for photographs well before the ceremony. During your meetings with the bride and groom, establish the style of photographs they want to receive when the big day is over. Discuss what look and feel the photos should take on and any post-processing techniques they may be fond of. Do they want color, black-and-white, or sepia-toned images exclusively, or a mix of all three styles? Do they want a photojournalistic or stylized fashion look to the images or a more traditional formal approach? These are all details to nail down well before the wedding day arrives.
4. Give the bride and groom breaks where they can relax for a few minutes. This is also a good time to get more candid images of them kicking back and reflecting on the events of the day. No one likes to be "on" all the time and your sensitivity to this will be much appreciated.
5. Know your audience. Before the wedding ask the couple about any touchy relationships such as family feuds, divorced parents, and children, and have the couple decide how they want you to arrange the portraits in regard to these relationships. The last thing that you want to do is put a divorced mother of the bride with her ex-husband and his new wife for the family shot or feuding family members next to each other.
6. Be happy. No one likes a grouchy photographer. So often it's true in photography and in life that you get back what you put in. You want happy people faces in your photographs; then that's what you have to display. Be magnanimous, agreeable, and flexible even if it kills you and keep smiling and shooting.